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Noguchi A, Numata Y, Sugawara T, Miura H, Konno K, Adachi Y, Yamaguchi R, Ishida M, Kokumai T, Douchi D, Miura T, Ariake K, Nakayama S, Maeda S, Ohtsuka H, Mizuma M, Nakagawa K, Morikawa H, Akatsuka J, Maeda I, Unno M, Yamamoto Y, Furukawa T. Deep learning predicts the 1-year prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients using positive peritoneal washing cytology. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17059. [PMID: 39095474 PMCID: PMC11297136 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67757-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Peritoneal washing cytology (CY) in patients with pancreatic cancer is mainly used for staging; however, it may also be used to evaluate the intraperitoneal status to predict a more accurate prognosis. Here, we investigated the potential of deep learning of CY specimen images for predicting the 1-year prognosis of pancreatic cancer in CY-positive patients. CY specimens from 88 patients with prognostic information were retrospectively analyzed. CY specimens scanned by the whole slide imaging device were segmented and subjected to deep learning with a Vision Transformer (ViT) and a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The results indicated that ViT and CNN predicted the 1-year prognosis from scanned images with accuracies of 0.8056 and 0.8009 in the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curves, respectively. Patients predicted to survive 1 year or more by ViT showed significantly longer survivals by Kaplan-Meier analyses. The cell nuclei found to have a negative prognostic impact by ViT appeared to be neutrophils. Our results indicate that AI-mediated analysis of CY specimens can successfully predict the 1-year prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer positive for CY. Intraperitoneal neutrophils may be a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target for CY-positive patients with pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya Noguchi
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
- Department of Investigative Pathology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryomachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan
| | - Yasushi Numata
- Pathology Informatics Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Nihonbashi 1-chome Mitsui Bldg. 15F, 1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0027, Japan
| | - Takanori Sugawara
- Department of Pathology, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Hiroshu Miura
- Department of Pathology, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Kaori Konno
- Department of Pathology, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Yuzu Adachi
- Department of Pathology, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Ruri Yamaguchi
- Department of Investigative Pathology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryomachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan
| | - Masaharu Ishida
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Takashi Kokumai
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Daisuke Douchi
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Takayuki Miura
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Kyohei Ariake
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Shun Nakayama
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Shimpei Maeda
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Hideo Ohtsuka
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Masamichi Mizuma
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Kei Nakagawa
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Hiromu Morikawa
- Pathology Informatics Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Nihonbashi 1-chome Mitsui Bldg. 15F, 1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0027, Japan
| | - Jun Akatsuka
- Pathology Informatics Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Nihonbashi 1-chome Mitsui Bldg. 15F, 1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0027, Japan
- Department of Urology, Nippon Medical School Hospital, Tokyo, 113-8603, Japan
| | - Ichiro Maeda
- Pathology Informatics Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Nihonbashi 1-chome Mitsui Bldg. 15F, 1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0027, Japan
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University Kitasato Institute Hospital, Tokyo, 108-0072, Japan
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | - Michiaki Unno
- Department of Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan
| | - Yoichiro Yamamoto
- Pathology Informatics Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Nihonbashi 1-chome Mitsui Bldg. 15F, 1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0027, Japan.
- Mathematical Intelligence for Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan.
| | - Toru Furukawa
- Department of Investigative Pathology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryomachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan.
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Jin Y, Christenson ES, Zheng L, Li K. Neutrophils in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: bridging preclinical insights to clinical prospects for improved therapeutic strategies. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2024; 20:945-958. [PMID: 38690749 DOI: 10.1080/1744666x.2024.2348605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive malignancy characterized by a dismal five-year survival rate of less than 10%. Neutrophils are key components of the innate immune system, playing a pivotal role in the PDAC immune microenvironment. AREAS COVERED This review provides a comprehensive survey of the pivotal involvement of neutrophils in the tumorigenesis and progression of PDAC. Furthermore, it synthesizes preclinical and clinical explorations aimed at targeting neutrophils within the milieu of PDAC, subsequently proposing a conceptual framework to propel further inquiry focused on enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of PDAC through neutrophil-targeted strategies. PubMed and Web of Science databases were utilized for researching neutrophils in pancreatic cancer publications prior to 2024. EXPERT OPINION Neutrophils play roles in promoting tumor growth and metastasis in PDAC and are associated with poor prognosis. However, the heterogeneity and plasticity of neutrophils and their complex relationships with other immune cells and extracellular matrix also provide new insights for immunotherapy targeting neutrophils to achieve a better prognosis for PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Jin
- Division of Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Eric S Christenson
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lei Zheng
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Cancer Convergence Institute at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Keyu Li
- Division of Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Sun D, Tan L, Chen Y, Yuan Q, Jiang K, Liu Y, Xue Y, Zhang J, Cao X, Xu M, Luo Y, Xu Z, Xu Z, Xu W, Shen M. CXCL5 impedes CD8 + T cell immunity by upregulating PD-L1 expression in lung cancer via PXN/AKT signaling phosphorylation and neutrophil chemotaxis. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:202. [PMID: 39034411 PMCID: PMC11264977 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03122-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lung cancer remains one of the most prevalent cancer types worldwide, with a high mortality rate. Upregulation of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) may represent a key mechanism for evading immune surveillance. Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) antibodies against PD-1 or PD-L1 are therefore widely used to treat patients with lung cancer. However, the mechanisms by which lung cancer and neutrophils in the microenvironment sustain PD-L1 expression and impart stronger inhibition of CD8+ T cell function remain unclear. METHODS We investigated the role and underlying mechanism by which PD-L1+ lung cancer and PD-L1+ neutrophils impede the function of CD8+ T cells through magnetic bead cell sorting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, confocal immunofluorescence, gene silencing, flow cytometry, etc. In vivo efficacy and safety studies were conducted using (Non-obeseDiabetes/severe combined immune deficiency) SCID/NOD mice. Additionally, we collected clinical and prognostic data from 208 patients who underwent curative lung cancer resection between 2017 and 2018. RESULTS We demonstrated that C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CXCL5) is markedly overexpressed in lung cancer cells and is positively correlated with a poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer. Mechanistically, CXCL5 activates the phosphorylation of the Paxillin/AKT signaling cascade, leading to upregulation of PD-L1 expression and the formation of a positive feedback loop. Moreover, CXCL5 attracts neutrophils, compromising CD8+ T cell-dependent antitumor immunity. These PD-L1+ neutrophils aggravate CD8+ T cell exhaustion following lung cancer domestication. Combined treatment with anti-CXCL5 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies significantly inhibits tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Our findings collectively demonstrate that CXCL5 promotes immune escape through PD-L1 upregulation in lung cancer and neutrophils chemotaxis through autocrine and paracrine mechanisms. CXCL5 may serve as a potential therapeutic target in synergy with ICBs in lung cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dantong Sun
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Lipin Tan
- Department of nursing administration, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Yongbing Chen
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Qiang Yuan
- Department of interventional medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Kanqiu Jiang
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Yangyang Liu
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Hospital of Zhangjiagang, Suzhou, 215600, China
| | - Yuhang Xue
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, 224000, China
| | - Jinzhi Zhang
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Xianbao Cao
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Minzhao Xu
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Yang Luo
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Zhonghua Xu
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Zhonghen Xu
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Weihua Xu
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Mingjing Shen
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China.
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Tumbath S, Jiang L, Li X, Zhang T, Zahid KR, Zhao Y, Zhou H, Yin Z, Lu T, Jiang S, Chen Y, Chen X, Fu YX, Huang X. β-Lapachone promotes the recruitment and polarization of tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) toward an antitumor (N1) phenotype in NQO1-positive cancers. Oncoimmunology 2024; 13:2363000. [PMID: 38846085 PMCID: PMC11155710 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2024.2363000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is overexpressed in most solid cancers, emerging as a promising target for tumor-selective killing. β-Lapachone (β-Lap), an NQO1 bioactivatable drug, exhibits significant antitumor effects on NQO1-positive cancer cells by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) and enhancing tumor immunogenicity. However, the interaction between β-Lap-mediated antitumor immune responses and neutrophils, novel antigen-presenting cells (APCs), remains unknown. This study demonstrates that β-Lap selectively kills NQO1-positive murine tumor cells by significantly increasing intracellular ROS formation and inducing DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), resulting in DNA damage. Treatment with β-Lap efficiently eradicates immunocompetent murine tumors and significantly increases the infiltration of tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) into the tumor microenvironment (TME), which plays a crucial role in the drug's therapeutic efficacy. Further, the presence of β-Lap-induced antigen medium leads bone marrow-derived neutrophils (BMNs) to directly kill murine tumor cells, aiding in dendritic cells (DCs) recruitment and significantly enhancing CD8+ T cell proliferation. β-Lap treatment also drives the polarization of TANs toward an antitumor N1 phenotype, characterized by elevated IFN-β expression and reduced TGF-β cytokine expression, along with increased CD95 and CD54 surface markers. β-Lap treatment also induces N1 TAN-mediated T cell cross-priming. The HMGB1/TLR4/MyD88 signaling cascade influences neutrophil infiltration into β-Lap-treated tumors. Blocking this cascade or depleting neutrophil infiltration abolishes the antigen-specific T cell response induced by β-Lap treatment. Overall, this study provides comprehensive insights into the role of tumor-infiltrating neutrophils in the β-Lap-induced antitumor activity against NQO1-positive murine tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumya Tumbath
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Lingxiang Jiang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Xiaoguang Li
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Taolan Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Kashif Rafiq Zahid
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Ye Zhao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Hao Zhou
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Zhijun Yin
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Tao Lu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Shu Jiang
- Division of public health sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yaomin Chen
- Indiana University Health Pathology Laboratory, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Xiang Chen
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yang-Xin Fu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Xiumei Huang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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5
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Sun C, Wang S, Ma Z, Zhou J, Ding Z, Yuan G, Pan Y. Neutrophils in glioma microenvironment: from immune function to immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1393173. [PMID: 38779679 PMCID: PMC11109384 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1393173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioma is a malignant tumor of the central nervous system (CNS). Currently, effective treatment options for gliomas are still lacking. Neutrophils, as an important member of the tumor microenvironment (TME), are widely distributed in circulation. Recently, the discovery of cranial-meningeal channels and intracranial lymphatic vessels has provided new insights into the origins of neutrophils in the CNS. Neutrophils in the brain may originate more from the skull and adjacent vertebral bone marrow. They cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) under the action of chemokines and enter the brain parenchyma, subsequently migrating to the glioma TME and undergoing phenotypic changes upon contact with tumor cells. Under glycolytic metabolism model, neutrophils show complex and dual functions in different stages of cancer progression, including participation in the malignant progression, immune suppression, and anti-tumor effects of gliomas. Additionally, neutrophils in the TME interact with other immune cells, playing a crucial role in cancer immunotherapy. Targeting neutrophils may be a novel generation of immunotherapy and improve the efficacy of cancer treatments. This article reviews the molecular mechanisms of neutrophils infiltrating the central nervous system from the external environment, detailing the origin, functions, classifications, and targeted therapies of neutrophils in the context of glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Sun
- The Second Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Siwen Wang
- The Second Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhen Ma
- The Second Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jinghuan Zhou
- The Second Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zilin Ding
- The Second Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Guoqiang Yuan
- The Second Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yawen Pan
- The Second Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
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Santiso A, Heinemann A, Kargl J. Prostaglandin E2 in the Tumor Microenvironment, a Convoluted Affair Mediated by EP Receptors 2 and 4. Pharmacol Rev 2024; 76:388-413. [PMID: 38697857 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.123.000901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The involvement of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) system in cancer progression has long been recognized. PGE2 functions as an autocrine and paracrine signaling molecule with pleiotropic effects in the human body. High levels of intratumoral PGE2 and overexpression of the key metabolic enzymes of PGE2 have been observed and suggested to contribute to tumor progression. This has been claimed for different types of solid tumors, including, but not limited to, lung, breast, and colon cancer. PGE2 has direct effects on tumor cells and angiogenesis that are known to promote tumor development. However, one of the main mechanisms behind PGE2 driving cancerogenesis is currently thought to be anchored in suppressed antitumor immunity, thus providing possible therapeutic targets to be used in cancer immunotherapies. EP2 and EP4, two receptors for PGE2, are emerging as being the most relevant for this purpose. This review aims to summarize the known roles of PGE2 in the immune system and its functions within the tumor microenvironment. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) has long been known to be a signaling molecule in cancer. Its presence in tumors has been repeatedly associated with disease progression. Elucidation of its effects on immunological components of the tumor microenvironment has highlighted the potential of PGE2 receptor antagonists in cancer treatment, particularly in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapeutics. Adjuvant treatment could increase the response rates and the efficacy of immune-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Santiso
- Division of Pharmacology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Akos Heinemann
- Division of Pharmacology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Julia Kargl
- Division of Pharmacology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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7
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Zeng Y, Guo Z, Wu M, Chen F, Chen L. Circadian rhythm regulates the function of immune cells and participates in the development of tumors. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:199. [PMID: 38678017 PMCID: PMC11055927 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-01960-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are present in almost all cells and play a crucial role in regulating various biological processes. Maintaining a stable circadian rhythm is essential for overall health. Disruption of this rhythm can alter the expression of clock genes and cancer-related genes, and affect many metabolic pathways and factors, thereby affecting the function of the immune system and contributing to the occurrence and progression of tumors. This paper aims to elucidate the regulatory effects of BMAL1, clock and other clock genes on immune cells, and reveal the molecular mechanism of circadian rhythm's involvement in tumor and its microenvironment regulation. A deeper understanding of circadian rhythms has the potential to provide new strategies for the treatment of cancer and other immune-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuen Zeng
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zichan Guo
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Mengqi Wu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Fulin Chen
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Lihua Chen
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
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8
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Xing H, Li X. Engineered Nanomaterials for Tumor Immune Microenvironment Modulation in Cancer Immunotherapy. Chemistry 2024:e202400425. [PMID: 38576219 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Tumor immunotherapy, represented by immune checkpoint blocking and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, has achieved promising results in clinical applications. However, it faces challenges that hinder its further development, such as limited response rates and poor tumor permeability. The efficiency of tumor immunotherapy is also closely linked to the structure and function of the immune microenvironment where the tumor resides. Recently, nanoparticle-based tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) modulation strategies have attracted a great deal of attention in cancer immunotherapy. This is primarily due to the distinctive physical characteristics of nanoparticles, which enable them to effectively infiltrate the TIME and selectively modulate its key constituents. This paper reviews recent advances in nanoparticle engineering to improve anti-cancer immunotherapy. Emerging nanoparticle-based approaches for modulating immune cells, tumor stroma, cytokines and immune checkpoints are discussed, aiming to overcome current challenges in the clinic. In addition, integrating immunotherapy with various treatment modalities such as chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy can be facilitated through the utilization of nanoparticles, thereby enhancing the efficacy of cancer treatment. The future challenges and opportunities of using nanomaterials to reeducate the suppressive immune microenvironment of tumors are also discussed, with the aim of anticipating further advancements in this growing field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Xing
- Department of General Surgery, Naval Medical Center, Naval Medical University, 200052, Shanghai, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, 200433, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaomin Li
- Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (2011-iChEM), Fudan University, 200438, Shanghai, China
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9
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Wu Y, Han W, Dong H, Liu X, Su X. The rising roles of exosomes in the tumor microenvironment reprogramming and cancer immunotherapy. MedComm (Beijing) 2024; 5:e541. [PMID: 38585234 PMCID: PMC10999178 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Exosomes are indispensable for intercellular communications. Tumor microenvironment (TME) is the living environment of tumor cells, which is composed of various components, including immune cells. Based on TME, immunotherapy has been recently developed for eradicating cancer cells by reactivating antitumor effect of immune cells. The communications between tumor cells and TME are crucial for tumor development, metastasis, and drug resistance. Exosomes play an important role in mediating these communications and regulating the reprogramming of TME, which affects the sensitivity of immunotherapy. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the role of exosomes in TME reprogramming and the impact of exosomes on immunotherapy. Here, we review the communication role of exosomes in regulating TME remodeling and the efficacy of immunotherapy, as well as summarize the underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, we also introduce the potential application of the artificially modified exosomes as the delivery systems of antitumor drugs. Further efforts in this field will provide new insights on the roles of exosomes in intercellular communications of TME and cancer progression, thus helping us to uncover effective strategies for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wu
- Clinical Medical Research Center of the Affiliated HospitalInner Mongolia Medical UniversityHohhotChina
| | - Wenyan Han
- Clinical Laboratorythe Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical UniversityHohhotChina
| | - Hairong Dong
- Clinical LaboratoryHohhot first hospitalHohhotChina
| | - Xiaofeng Liu
- Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery Department IKey Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing)Peking University Cancer Hospital and InstituteBeijingChina
| | - Xiulan Su
- Clinical Medical Research Center of the Affiliated HospitalInner Mongolia Medical UniversityHohhotChina
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10
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Takahashi K, Sakashita Y, Murahashi M, Kubota H, Shimoda M, Ishikawa Y, Tanishima Y, Kurogochi T, Yano F, Eto K. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in patients undergoing esophagectomy following neoadjuvant DCF therapy. J Surg Oncol 2024; 129:700-707. [PMID: 38031881 DOI: 10.1002/jso.27542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence suggests that expression levels of tumor-infiltrating (TI) cells may play a prognostic role in patients with esophageal cancer who have undergone esophagectomy. However, its effect on patients undergoing neoadjuvant docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) therapy followed by esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the prognostic impact of TI cells in patients who underwent esophagectomy following neoadjuvant DCF therapy. METHODS Overall, 81 patients with ESCC who underwent curative esophagectomy following neoadjuvant DCF therapy were included. The number of TI CD8+ cells was determined using light microscopy at ×400 in tumor invasive margins. Receiver operative characteristic curve was used to determine the cutoff values for mortality for continuous variables; the patients were separated into high and low TI CD8+ cell groups and their backgrounds and clinical outcomes were compared. RESULTS Overall and relapse-free survival were significantly worse in the TI CD8+-low group than that in the TI CD8+-high group (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that positive ypN (hazard ratio [HR], 3.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-9.02) and low TI CD8+ cell levels (HR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.31-5.85) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Furthermore, positive venous invasion (HR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.29-5.35) and low TI CD8+ cell levels (HR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.70-5.46) were significant prognostic factors for relapse-free survival. CONCLUSIONS Low TI CD8+ cell level was a prominent prognostic factor for patients with ESCC undergoing neoadjuvant DCF therapy followed by esophagectomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Takahashi
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuki Sakashita
- Division of Oncology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Hoshiho Kubota
- Department of Pathology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masayuki Shimoda
- Department of Pathology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Ishikawa
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Tanishima
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takanori Kurogochi
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fumiaki Yano
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ken Eto
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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11
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Fetit R, McLaren AS, White M, Mills ML, Falconer J, Cortes-Lavaud X, Gilroy K, Lannagan TRM, Ridgway RA, Nixon C, Naiker V, Njunge R, Clarke CJ, Whyte D, Kirschner K, Jackstadt R, Norman J, Carlin LM, Campbell AD, Sansom OJ, Steele CW. Characterizing Neutrophil Subtypes in Cancer Using scRNA Sequencing Demonstrates the Importance of IL1β/CXCR2 Axis in Generation of Metastasis-specific Neutrophils. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:588-606. [PMID: 38358352 PMCID: PMC10903300 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Neutrophils are a highly heterogeneous cellular population. However, a thorough examination of the different transcriptional neutrophil states between health and malignancy has not been performed. We utilized single-cell RNA sequencing of human and murine datasets, both publicly available and independently generated, to identify neutrophil transcriptomic subtypes and developmental lineages in health and malignancy. Datasets of lung, breast, and colorectal cancer were integrated to establish and validate neutrophil gene signatures. Pseudotime analysis was used to identify genes driving neutrophil development from health to cancer. Finally, ligand-receptor interactions and signaling pathways between neutrophils and other immune cell populations in primary colorectal cancer and metastatic colorectal cancer were investigated. We define two main neutrophil subtypes in primary tumors: an activated subtype sharing the transcriptomic signatures of healthy neutrophils; and a tumor-specific subtype. This signature is conserved in murine and human cancer, across different tumor types. In colorectal cancer metastases, neutrophils are more heterogeneous, exhibiting additional transcriptomic subtypes. Pseudotime analysis implicates IL1β/CXCL8/CXCR2 axis in the progression of neutrophils from health to cancer and metastasis, with effects on T-cell effector function. Functional analysis of neutrophil-tumoroid cocultures and T-cell proliferation assays using orthotopic metastatic mouse models lacking Cxcr2 in neutrophils support our transcriptional analysis. We propose that the emergence of metastatic-specific neutrophil subtypes is driven by the IL1β/CXCL8/CXCR2 axis, with the evolution of different transcriptomic signals that impair T-cell function at the metastatic site. Thus, a better understanding of neutrophil transcriptomic programming could optimize immunotherapeutic interventions into early and late interventions, targeting different neutrophil states. SIGNIFICANCE We identify two recurring neutrophil populations and demonstrate their staged evolution from health to malignancy through the IL1β/CXCL8/CXCR2 axis, allowing for immunotherapeutic neutrophil-targeting approaches to counteract immunosuppressive subtypes that emerge in metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana Fetit
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair S McLaren
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer Sciences, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Mark White
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer Sciences, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Kathryn Gilroy
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer Sciences, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Colin Nixon
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Renee Njunge
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Declan Whyte
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Kristina Kirschner
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer Sciences, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jim Norman
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer Sciences, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Leo M Carlin
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer Sciences, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Owen J Sansom
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer Sciences, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Colin W Steele
- CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer Sciences, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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12
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Kostecki KL, Iida M, Crossman BE, Salgia R, Harari PM, Bruce JY, Wheeler DL. Immune Escape Strategies in Head and Neck Cancer: Evade, Resist, Inhibit, Recruit. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:312. [PMID: 38254801 PMCID: PMC10814769 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Head and neck cancers (HNCs) arise from the mucosal lining of the aerodigestive tract and are often associated with alcohol use, tobacco use, and/or human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Over 600,000 new cases of HNC are diagnosed each year, making it the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Historically, treatments have included surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, and while these treatments are still the backbone of current therapy, several immunotherapies have recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in HNC. The role of the immune system in tumorigenesis and cancer progression has been explored since the early 20th century, eventually coalescing into the current three-phase model of cancer immunoediting. During each of the three phases-elimination, equilibrium, and escape-cancer cells develop and utilize multiple strategies to either reach or remain in the final phase, escape, at which point the tumor is able to grow and metastasize with little to no detrimental interference from the immune system. In this review, we summarize the many strategies used by HNC to escape the immune system, which include ways to evade immune detection, resist immune cell attacks, inhibit immune cell functions, and recruit pro-tumor immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kourtney L. Kostecki
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792, USA; (K.L.K.); (M.I.); (B.E.C.)
| | - Mari Iida
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792, USA; (K.L.K.); (M.I.); (B.E.C.)
| | - Bridget E. Crossman
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792, USA; (K.L.K.); (M.I.); (B.E.C.)
| | - Ravi Salgia
- Department of Medical Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA;
| | - Paul M. Harari
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792, USA; (K.L.K.); (M.I.); (B.E.C.)
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI 53705, USA;
| | - Justine Y. Bruce
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI 53705, USA;
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Deric L. Wheeler
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792, USA; (K.L.K.); (M.I.); (B.E.C.)
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI 53705, USA;
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13
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Tavakoli Pirzaman A, Alishah A, Babajani B, Ebrahimi P, Sheikhi SA, Moosaei F, Salarfar A, Doostmohamadian S, Kazemi S. The Role of microRNAs in Hepatocellular Cancer: A Narrative Review Focused on Tumor Microenvironment and Drug Resistance. Technol Cancer Res Treat 2024; 23:15330338241239188. [PMID: 38634139 PMCID: PMC11025440 DOI: 10.1177/15330338241239188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Globally, hepatic cancer ranks fourth in terms of cancer-related mortality and is the sixth most frequent kind of cancer. Around 80% of liver cancers are hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), which are the leading cause of cancer death. It is well known that HCC may develop resistance to the available chemotherapy treatments very fast. One of the biggest obstacles in providing cancer patients with appropriate care is drug resistance. According to reports, more than 90% of cancer-specific fatalities are caused by treatment resistance. By binding to the 3'-untranslated region of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), a group of noncoding RNAs which are around 17 to 25 nucleotides long, regulate target gene expression. Moreover, they play role in the control of signaling pathways, cell proliferation, and cell death. As a result, miRNAs play an important role in the microenvironment of HCC by changing immune phenotypes, hypoxic conditions, and acidification, as well as angiogenesis and extracellular matrix components. Moreover, changes in miRNA levels in HCC can effectively resist cancer cells to chemotherapy by affecting various cellular processes such as autophagy, apoptosis, and membrane transporter activity. In the current work, we narratively reviewed the role of miRNAs in HCC, with a special focus on tumor microenvironment and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ali Alishah
- Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Bahareh Babajani
- Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Pouyan Ebrahimi
- Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Seyyed Ali Sheikhi
- Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Farhad Moosaei
- Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | | | | | - Sohrab Kazemi
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
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14
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Kubo S, Kobayashi N, Matsumoto H, Somekawa K, Kaneko A, Hashimoto H, Teranishi S, Watanabe K, Horita N, Hara Y, Kudo M, Kaneko T. Atezolizumab addition to platinum doublet: evaluating survival outcomes for patients with extensive disease small cell lung cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:17419-17426. [PMID: 37878090 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05457-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The efficacy of adding atezolizumab to the platinum doublet regimen for extensive disease small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC) remains marginally limited. METHODS We retrospectively assessed the real-world efficacy and safety of atezolizumab in addition to carboplatin and etoposide (EP + A), versus carboplatin and etoposide (EP) alone in previously untreated ED-SCLC patients. RESULTS From a total of 99 patients, 46 were assigned to the EP + A group, and 53 to the EP group. No significant difference was observed in progression-free survival between the groups. However, the overall survival (OS) was significantly longer in the EP + A group (20.8 vs 12.1 months; HR: 0.52; p = 0.0127). Patients older than 70 years, male, with performance status 0-1, without liver metastasis, and low levels of C-reactive protein and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, experienced longer OS in the EP + A group compared to the EP group. CONCLUSION The addition of atezolizumab to the platinum doublet regimen significantly extended OS in ED-SCLC patients, particularly among certain subgroups, suggesting its potential value in personalized treatment strategies. Further investigation is warranted to validate these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sousuke Kubo
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Kobayashi
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan.
| | - Hiromi Matsumoto
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kohei Somekawa
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Ayami Kaneko
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Hisashi Hashimoto
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Shuhei Teranishi
- Respiratory Disease Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, 4-59 Urafune-Cho, Minami-Ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Keisuke Watanabe
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Horita
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Yu Hara
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Makoto Kudo
- Respiratory Disease Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, 4-59 Urafune-Cho, Minami-Ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kaneko
- Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuura 3-9, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
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15
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Pan L, Hu L, Chen M, Song Y, Chen Z, Gu Y, Li C, Jiang Z. A novel CD47-blocking peptide fused to pro-apoptotic KLA repeat inhibits lung cancer growth in mice. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2023; 72:4179-4194. [PMID: 37831145 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-023-03554-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
CD47 is highly expressed in many tumor tissues and induces immune evasion by interaction with SIRP-alpha (signal regulatory protein-alpha) expressed on tumor-associated macrophages. In this study, we identified a novel CD47-blocking peptide VK17 by phage display technique. A pro-apoptotic VK30 peptide was obtained after VK17 was fused to KLA amino acid repeat at C-termini. The VK30 was specifically bound to CD47 on lung cancer cells, and subsequently inducing lung cancer cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, the expression of Bax was increased, whereas the expression of Bcl-2 and Ki-67 were reduced in the VK30-treated lung cancer cells. In addition, VK30 effectively improved the phagocytic activity of macrophages against VK30-pretreated lung cancer cells. Combinational treatment of lung cancer cells with blocking antibody anti-CD47 and VK30 additively enhanced VK30 binding to CD47, subsequently increasing lung cancer cell apoptosis and macrophage phagocytosis. Intraperitoneal administration of 2 mg/kg VK30 induced effective trafficking of VK30 into tumor tissues, and suppressing lung cancer cell growth in mice, associated with increased tumor cell apoptosis, macrophage activation and phagocytosis in vivo. The expression of CD47 was reduced in the VK30-treated tumor tissues and the expression level was positively correlated to tumor size. In addition, VK30 reduced the infiltration of CD11b+Ly6G+ neutrophils and CD11b+Ly6C+Ly6G+ granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (Gr-MDSCs) in tumor tissues, associated with suppressed expression of tumorigenic IL-6 and TNF-alpha from these cell types. Thereby, VK30 exerted anti-tumor effects in mice through inducing tumor cell apoptosis and macrophage phagocytosis. VK30 would be a novel therapeutic peptide in lung cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linyue Pan
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Lu Hu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Mengjie Chen
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yuanlin Song
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Lung Inflammation and Injury, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhihong Chen
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yutong Gu
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chun Li
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Zhilong Jiang
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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16
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Gong YT, Zhang LJ, Liu YC, Tang M, Lin JY, Chen XY, Chen YX, Yan Y, Zhang WD, Jin JM, Luan X. Neutrophils as potential therapeutic targets for breast cancer. Pharmacol Res 2023; 198:106996. [PMID: 37972723 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) remains the foremost cause of cancer mortality globally, with neutrophils playing a critical role in its pathogenesis. As an essential tumor microenvironment (TME) component, neutrophils are emerging as pivotal factors in BC progression. Growing evidence has proved that neutrophils play a Janus- role in BC by polarizing into the anti-tumor (N1) or pro-tumor (N2) phenotype. Clinical trials are evaluating neutrophil-targeted therapies, including Reparixin (NCT02370238) and Tigatuzumab (NCT01307891); however, their clinical efficacy remains suboptimal. This review summarizes the evidence regarding the close relationship between neutrophils and BC, emphasizing the critical roles of neutrophils in regulating metabolic and immune pathways. Additionally, we summarize the existing therapeutic approaches that target neutrophils, highlighting the challenges, and affirming the rationale for continuing to explore neutrophils as a viable therapeutic target in BC management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ting Gong
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China; Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Li-Jun Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yi-Chen Liu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Min Tang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jia-Yi Lin
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xin-Yi Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yi-Xu Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yue Yan
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Wei-Dong Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China; School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 201203, China; Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Jin-Mei Jin
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
| | - Xin Luan
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
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17
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Kam NW, Lau CY, Che CM, Lee VHF. Nasopharynx Battlefield: Cellular Immune Responses Mediated by Midkine in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and COVID-19. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4850. [PMID: 37835544 PMCID: PMC10571800 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical evidence suggests that the severe respiratory illness coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is often associated with a cytokine storm that results in dysregulated immune responses. Prolonged COVID-19 positivity is thought to disproportionately affect cancer patients. With COVID-19 disrupting the delivery of cancer care, it is crucial to gain momentum and awareness of the mechanistic intersection between these two diseases. This review discusses the role of the cytokine midkine (MK) as an immunomodulator in patients with COVID-19 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), both of which affect the nasal cavity. We conducted a review and analysis of immunocellular similarities and differences based on clinical studies, research articles, and published transcriptomic datasets. We specifically focused on ligand-receptor pairs that could be used to infer intercellular communication, as well as the current medications used for each disease, including NPC patients who have contracted COVID-19. Based on our findings, we recommend close monitoring of the MK axis to maintain the desirable effects of therapeutic regimens in fighting both NPC and COVID-19 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngar-Woon Kam
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Centre of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.-W.K.); (C.-Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Ltd., Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong 999077, China;
| | - Cho-Yiu Lau
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Centre of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.-W.K.); (C.-Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Ltd., Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong 999077, China;
| | - Chi-Ming Che
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Ltd., Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong 999077, China;
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Victor Ho-Fun Lee
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Centre of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.-W.K.); (C.-Y.L.)
- Clinical Oncology Center, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
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18
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Shrestha S, Hong CW. Extracellular Mechanisms of Neutrophils in Immune Cell Crosstalk. Immune Netw 2023; 23:e38. [PMID: 37970234 PMCID: PMC10643328 DOI: 10.4110/in.2023.23.e38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Neutrophils are professional phagocytes that provide defense against invading pathogens through phagocytosis, degranulation, generation of ROS, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Although long been considered as short-lived effector cells with limited biosynthetic activity, recent studies have revealed that neutrophils actively communicate with other immune cells. Neutrophils employ various types of soluble mediators, including granules, cytokines, and chemokines, for crosstalk with immune cells. Additionally, ROS and NETs, major arsenals of neutrophils, are utilized for intercellular communication. Furthermore, extracellular vesicles play a crucial role as mediators of neutrophil crosstalk. In this review, we highlight the extracellular mechanisms of neutrophils and their roles in crosstalk with other cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjeeb Shrestha
- Department of Physiology, CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Chang-Won Hong
- Department of Physiology, CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
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19
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Zhong J, Zong S, Wang J, Feng M, Wang J, Zhang H, Xiong L. Role of neutrophils on cancer cells and other immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2023; 1870:119493. [PMID: 37201766 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2023.119493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The notion that neutrophils only perform a specific set of single functions in the body has changed with the advancement of research methods. As the most abundant myeloid cells in human blood, neutrophils are currently emerging as important regulators of cancer. Given the duality of neutrophils, neutrophil-based tumor therapy has been clinically carried out in recent years and has made some progress. But due to the complexity of the tumor microenvironment, the therapeutic effect is still not satisfactory. Therefore, in this review, we discuss the direct interaction of neutrophils with the five most common cancer cells and other immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Also, this review covered current limitations, potential future possibilities, and therapeutic approaches targeting neutrophil function in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junpei Zhong
- Department of Pathophysiology, Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
| | - Siwen Zong
- Second Clinical Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
| | - Jiayang Wang
- First Clinical Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
| | - Mingrui Feng
- Second Clinical Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Functional and Clinical Translational Medicine, Xiamen Medical College, Fujian province university, Xiamen 361023, China
| | - Hongyan Zhang
- Department of Burn, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330066, China.
| | - Lixia Xiong
- Department of Pathophysiology, Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China; Key Laboratory of Functional and Clinical Translational Medicine, Xiamen Medical College, Fujian province university, Xiamen 361023, China.
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Tang PW, Frisbie L, Hempel N, Coffman L. Insights into the tumor-stromal-immune cell metabolism cross talk in ovarian cancer. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2023; 325:C731-C749. [PMID: 37545409 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00588.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a constellation of abundant cellular components, extracellular matrix, and soluble factors. Soluble factors, such as cytokines, chemokines, structural proteins, extracellular vesicles, and metabolites, are critical means of noncontact cellular communication acting as messengers to convey pro- or antitumorigenic signals. Vast advancements have been made in our understanding of how cancer cells adapt their metabolism to meet environmental demands and utilize these adaptations to promote survival, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. The stromal TME contribution to this metabolic rewiring has been relatively underexplored, particularly in ovarian cancer. Thus, metabolic activity alterations in the TME hold promise for further study and potential therapeutic exploitation. In this review, we focus on the cellular components of the TME with emphasis on 1) metabolic signatures of ovarian cancer; 2) understanding the stromal cell network and their metabolic cross talk with tumor cells; and 3) how stromal and tumor cell metabolites alter intratumoral immune cell metabolism and function. Together, these elements provide insight into the metabolic influence of the TME and emphasize the importance of understanding how metabolic performance drives cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla W Tang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Leonard Frisbie
- Department of Integrative Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Nadine Hempel
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Lan Coffman
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
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21
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Zhao M, Xing H, He J, Wang X, Liu Y. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in relation to pathological complete remission to neoadjuvant therapy and prognosis in triple negative breast cancer. Pathol Res Pract 2023; 248:154687. [PMID: 37478522 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2023.154687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the correlation between the peripheral blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) before neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) and the prognosis of patients with triple negative breast cancer. METHOD A total of 126 patients with TNBC who received NAT were screened out. TILs, CD8+TIL and FOXP3+TIL were detected by immunohistochemistry in core needle biopsy specimens before treatment, and NLR was calculated. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate survival rates. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS NLR was negatively correlated with TILs density (p = 0.040) and FOXP3+ TIL was positively correlated with NLR (p = 0.019). Patients with low NLR/high TILs density showed the highest pCR rate (46/48, 95 %), while only 6/22 patients (21 %) with high NLR/low TILs density achieved pCR. Multivariate analysis showed that high NLR was independently associated with pCR ((HR = 5.043, 95 %CI = 1.637-15.535, p = 0.005). High T stage, lymph node involvement, lymphovascular invasion, high NLR, low TILs density and low CD8+ TIL were associated with poor OS and BCSS. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high NLR (HR = 36.182, 95 %CI = 4.120-317.759, p = 0.001), high CD8+ TIL density (HR = 0.182, 95 %CI = 0.044-0.754, p = 0.019) were independently associated with poor OS. Similarly, high NLR (HR = 23.989, 95 %CI = 2.275-252.131, p = 0.008) was independently associated with worse BCSS. CONCLUSIONS NLR may help to screen the high-risk population of TNBC patients after neoadjuvant therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Zhao
- Department of Pathology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Hui Xing
- Cangzhou Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, Cangzhou, Hebei, China
| | - Jiankun He
- Department of Pathology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Xinran Wang
- Department of Pathology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Yueping Liu
- Department of Pathology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
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Zhang W, Xiao D, Mao Q, Xia H. Role of neuroinflammation in neurodegeneration development. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:267. [PMID: 37433768 PMCID: PMC10336149 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01486-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 97.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and so on, have suggested that inflammation is not only a result of neurodegeneration but also a crucial player in this process. Protein aggregates which are very common pathological phenomenon in neurodegeneration can induce neuroinflammation which further aggravates protein aggregation and neurodegeneration. Actually, inflammation even happens earlier than protein aggregation. Neuroinflammation induced by genetic variations in CNS cells or by peripheral immune cells may induce protein deposition in some susceptible population. Numerous signaling pathways and a range of CNS cells have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration, although they are still far from being completely understood. Due to the limited success of traditional treatment methods, blocking or enhancing inflammatory signaling pathways involved in neurodegeneration are considered to be promising strategies for the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases, and many of them have got exciting results in animal models or clinical trials. Some of them, although very few, have been approved by FDA for clinical usage. Here we comprehensively review the factors affecting neuroinflammation and the major inflammatory signaling pathways involved in the pathogenicity of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We also summarize the current strategies, both in animal models and in the clinic, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weifeng Zhang
- Laboratory of Gene Therapy, Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, 199 South Chang'an Road, Xi'an, 710062, P.R. China
| | - Dan Xiao
- The State Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Air Force Medical University, No. 169 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, P.R. China
- Department of Burns and Cutaneous Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, No. 169 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Qinwen Mao
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute, 2000 Circle of Hope Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Haibin Xia
- Laboratory of Gene Therapy, Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, 199 South Chang'an Road, Xi'an, 710062, P.R. China.
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Jiang D, Ma X, Zhang X, Cheng B, Wang R, Liu Y, Zhang X. New techniques: a roadmap for the development of HCC immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1121162. [PMID: 37426674 PMCID: PMC10323423 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1121162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. The absence of effective early diagnostic methods and the limitations of conventional therapies have led to a growing interest in immunotherapy as a novel treatment approach for HCC. The liver serves as an immune organ and a recipient of antigens from the digestive tract, creating a distinctive immune microenvironment. Key immune cells, including Kupffer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, play a crucial role in HCC development, thus offering ample research opportunities for HCC immunotherapy. The emergence of advanced technologies such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and single-cell ribonucleic acid sequencing has introduced new biomarkers and therapeutic targets, facilitating early diagnosis and treatment of HCC. These advancements have not only propelled the progress of HCC immunotherapy based on existing studies but have also generated new ideas for clinical research on HCC therapy. Furthermore, this review analysed and summarised the combination of current therapies for HCC and the improvement of CRISPR technology for chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, instilling renewed hope for HCC treatment. This review comprehensively explores the advancements in immunotherapy for HCC, focusing on the use of new techniques.
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Lenka S, Bhola RK, Varanasi PR, Bhuyan SK, Bhuyan R. Understanding the functional relevance of oral neutrophils, phenotype and properties in OSCC. Med Oncol 2023; 40:134. [PMID: 37010645 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-02010-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
Neutrophils are the predominant white blood cells (WBC) that are recruited to the sites of inflammation and infection. They are acknowledged to perform dual roles by promoting (pro-tumor) or by exhibiting anti-cancer properties (anti-tumor). Neutrophils are characterized based on the changes in phenotype and functional properties. To this context, circulating polymorphonuclear neutrophils (cPMN) and tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) in cancer biology has been well explored but limited to oral polymorphonuclear neutrophils (oPMNs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, oPMNs are eminent in maintaining the healthy oral ecosystem by neutralizing microorganisms. Neutralization process enhances the expression of cell surface markers (CD11b, CD63, CD66, CD66b, CD66c, and CD66e) and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, GM-CSF, and IL-8) and increases the recruitment of neutrophils. Along with the inflammation, it has been reported that CEACAM1 and chemerin also favors the infiltration of neutrophils to the cancer site. This indicates that oPMN might contribute to the aetiology of OSCC. The main objective of this review is to explore, the production and migration of oPMNs to the oral cavity, their phenotypes and possible role in OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudhansubala Lenka
- Department of Medical Research, IMS and SUM Hospital, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Rajesh Kumar Bhola
- Department of Pathology, IMS and SUM Hospital, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Pavankumar R Varanasi
- Department of Medical Research, IMS and SUM Hospital, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Sanat Kumar Bhuyan
- Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Ruchi Bhuyan
- Department of Medical Research, IMS and SUM Hospital, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
- Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, IMS and SUM Hospital, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (Deemed to be) University, Bhubaneswar, 751003, India.
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Zhang Y, Liu C, Wu C, Song L. Natural peptides for immunological regulation in cancer therapy: Mechanism, facts and perspectives. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 159:114257. [PMID: 36689836 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer incidence and mortality rates are increasing annually. Treatment with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) is unsatisfactory because many patients have advanced disease at the initial diagnosis. However, the emergence of immunotherapy promises to be an effective strategy to improve the outcome of advanced tumors. Immune checkpoint antibodies, which are at the forefront of immunotherapy, have had significant success but still leave some cancer patients without benefit. For more cancer patients to benefit from immunotherapy, it is necessary to find new drugs and combination therapeutic strategies to improve the outcome of advanced cancer patients and achieve long-term tumor control or even eradication. Peptides are promising choices for tumor immunotherapy drugs because they have the advantages of low production cost, high sequence selectivity, high tissue permeability, low toxicity and low immunogenicity etc., and the adjuvant matching and technologies like nanotechnology can further optimize the effects of peptides. In this review, we present the current status and mechanisms of research on peptides targeting multiple immune cells (T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells (DCs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), regulatory T cells (Tregs)) and immune checkpoints in tumor immunotherapy; and we summarize the current status of research on peptide-based tumor immunotherapy in combination with other therapies including RT, chemotherapy, surgery, targeted therapy, cytokine therapy, adoptive cell therapy (ACT) and cancer vaccines. Finally, we discuss the current status of peptide applications in mRNA vaccine delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunchao Zhang
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, PR China
| | - Chenxin Liu
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, PR China
| | - Chunjie Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, PR China
| | - Linjiang Song
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, PR China.
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Bert S, Nadkarni S, Perretti M. Neutrophil-T cell crosstalk and the control of the host inflammatory response. Immunol Rev 2023; 314:36-49. [PMID: 36326214 PMCID: PMC10952212 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
While fundamental in their innate role in combating infection and responding to injury, neutrophils are emerging as key modulators of adaptive immune responses. Such functions are attained via both soluble and nonsoluble effectors that enable at least two major downstream outcomes: first, to mediate and control acute inflammatory responses and second, to regulate adaptive immunity and ultimately promoting the development and maintenance of immune tolerance either by releasing immuno-modulatory factors, including cytokines, or by directly interacting with cells of the adaptive immune system. Herein, we review these novel properties of neutrophils and redefine the pathophysiological functions of these fascinating multi-tasking cells, exploring the different mechanisms through which neutrophils are able to either enhance and orchestrate T cell pro-inflammatory responses or inhibit T cell activity to maintain immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Bert
- The William Harvey Research InstituteQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Suchita Nadkarni
- The William Harvey Research InstituteQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Mauro Perretti
- The William Harvey Research InstituteQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
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Interplay between tumor-derived factors and tumor-associated neutrophils: opportunities for therapeutic interventions in cancer. CLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL ONCOLOGY : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF SPANISH ONCOLOGY SOCIETIES AND OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE OF MEXICO 2023:10.1007/s12094-023-03100-0. [PMID: 36745341 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-023-03100-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Neutrophils have emerged as important players in the tumor microenvironment, largely attributed to their plasticity and heterogeneity. Evidence accumulated thus far indicates that neutrophils signaled by external cues can promote tumor progression via several mechanisms. Hence, in our quest to target tumor-associated neutrophils to improve treatment, understanding the mechanisms by which tumor-derived factors regulate neutrophils to gain pro-tumor functions and the feedback loop by which these neutrophils promote tumor progression is very crucial. Herein, we review the published data on how tumor-derived factors alter neutrophils phenotype to promote tumor progression with particular emphasis on immunosuppression, autophagy, angiogenesis, tumor proliferation, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. These deeper insights could provide a wider view and novel therapeutic approach to neutrophil-targeted therapy in cancer.
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Lin J, Yan J, Deng XL, Wang CS, Wang HS. SPATS2 is correlated with cell cycle progression and immune cells infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma. BMC Gastroenterol 2023; 23:8. [PMID: 36631750 PMCID: PMC9832668 DOI: 10.1186/s12876-022-02633-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The spermatogenesis associated serine rich 2 (SPATS2) is a member of RNA-binding protein in which the abnormal expression is linked with carcinogenesis in serval types of cancer. However, there is no systematic study on the differential expression, prognostic significance, epigenetic regulation, immune infiltration of SPATS2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we investigated the expression, prognosis, epigenetic regulation, and immune cell infiltration of SPATS2 in HCC. We found that the elevated expression of SPATS2 was unfavorably associated with the clinical pathological stage and prognosis. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that SPATS2 is associated with cell cycle, apoptosis and cancer cell metastasis processes in HCC. Our results confirmed that knockdown of SPATS2 will affect cell cycle, apoptosis and invasion of HCC cell lines. Moreover, the expression of SPATS2 is upregulated by epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation, m6A and histone modification in HCC. In addition, SPATS2 expression was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration or expression of immune related gene markers in HCC. Taken together, our data demonstrated that SPATS2 is associated with progression and immune infiltration, and could serve as a prognostic biomarker for HCC. In conclusion, these results highlight the potential of SPATS2 to be used as a therapeutic target for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Lin
- grid.411643.50000 0004 1761 0411College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Jia Yan
- grid.410612.00000 0004 0604 6392School of Basic Medical, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Xiu ling Deng
- grid.410612.00000 0004 0604 6392School of Basic Medical, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Chang shan Wang
- grid.411643.50000 0004 1761 0411College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Hai sheng Wang
- grid.410612.00000 0004 0604 6392School of Basic Medical, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
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Antuamwine BB, Bosnjakovic R, Hofmann-Vega F, Wang X, Theodosiou T, Iliopoulos I, Brandau S. N1 versus N2 and PMN-MDSC: A critical appraisal of current concepts on tumor-associated neutrophils and new directions for human oncology. Immunol Rev 2022; 314:250-279. [PMID: 36504274 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Research on tumor-associated neutrophils (TAN) currently surges because of the well-documented strong clinical relevance of tumor-infiltrating neutrophils. This relevance is illustrated by strong correlations between high frequencies of intratumoral neutrophils and poor outcome in the majority of human cancers. Recent high-dimensional analysis of murine neutrophils provides evidence for unexpected plasticity of neutrophils in murine models of cancer and other inflammatory non-malignant diseases. New analysis tools enable deeper insight into the process of neutrophil differentiation and maturation. These technological and scientific developments led to the description of an ever-increasing number of distinct transcriptional states and associated phenotypes in murine models of disease and more recently also in humans. At present, functional validation of these different transcriptional states and potential phenotypes in cancer is lacking. Current functional concepts on neutrophils in cancer rely mainly on the myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) concept and the dichotomous and simple N1-N2 paradigm. In this manuscript, we review the historic development of those concepts, critically evaluate these concepts against the background of our own work and provide suggestions for a refinement of current concepts in order to facilitate the transition of TAN research from experimental insight to clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedict Boateng Antuamwine
- Experimental and Translational Research, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Rebeka Bosnjakovic
- Experimental and Translational Research, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Francisca Hofmann-Vega
- Experimental and Translational Research, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Xi Wang
- Experimental and Translational Research, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Theodosios Theodosiou
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Ioannis Iliopoulos
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Sven Brandau
- Experimental and Translational Research, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium, Partner Site Essen-Düsseldorf, Essen, Germany
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Li G, Xu S, Yang S, Wu C, Zhang L, Wang H. An immune infiltration-related long non-coding RNAs signature predicts prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Genet 2022; 13:1029576. [PMID: 36568382 PMCID: PMC9773198 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1029576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: With a high incidence and dismal survival rate, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tops the list of the world's most frequent malignant tumors. Immunotherapy is a new approach to cancer treatment, and its effect on prolonging overall survival (OS) varies from patient to patient. For a more effective prognosis and treatment of HCC, we are committed to identifying immune infiltration-related long non-coding RNAs (IIRLs) with prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: In our study, we calculated immune scores of 369 hepatocellular carcinoma samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database by using an estimation algorithm, and obtained long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with immune infiltration by using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network analysis (WGCNA). For training cohort, univariate Cox, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to determine prognostic IIRLs, we established a prognostic IIRLs signature. By testing cohort and entire cohort, we confirmed that the signature is practical. The prognosis of people with different clinicopathological stages and risk scores were predicted by the nomogram we constructed. In addition, Immune cell infiltration analysis and prediction of therapeutic drugs were performed. Results: 93 IIRLs were obtained by WGCNA. Furthermore, the prognostic value of these IIRLs were evaluated by using univariate Cox, Lasso and multivariate Cox analysis. Four IIRLs were used to create a signature with a prognosis. Time-related receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve revealed that this model had an acceptable prognostic value for HCC patients. By using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, this risk score has been shown to be an independent prognostic factor for HCC. The nomogram we made showed good predictions. Except for that, the treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) was likely to be more effective for low-risk patients. Conclusion: Based on four IIRLs, a prognostic signature was created in this research showed good accuracy in predicting OS. This study also provided valuable references for Immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gen Li
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shaodian Xu
- Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Yang
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Cong Wu
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Liangliang Zhang
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongbing Wang
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Hongbing Wang,
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31
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Wang F, Yang M, Luo W, Zhou Q. Characteristics of tumor microenvironment and novel immunotherapeutic strategies for non-small cell lung cancer. JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER CENTER 2022; 2:243-262. [PMID: 39036549 PMCID: PMC11256730 DOI: 10.1016/j.jncc.2022.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment approach of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Monoclonal antibodies against programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) are widely used in clinical practice, but other antibodies that can circumvent innate and acquired resistance are bound to undergo preclinical and clinical studies. However, tumor cells can develop and facilitate the tolerogenic nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME), resulting in tumor progression. Therefore, the immune escape mechanisms exploited by growing lung cancer involve a fine interplay between all actors in the TME. A better understanding of the molecular biology of lung cancer and the cellular/molecular mechanisms involved in the crosstalk between lung cancer cells and immune cells in the TME could identify novel therapeutic weapons in the old war against lung cancer. This article discusses the role of TME in the progression of lung cancer and pinpoints possible advances and challenges of immunotherapy for NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fen Wang
- Department of Oncology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer Translational Research, Cancer Institute, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen-Peking University-Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Mingyi Yang
- Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weichi Luo
- Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qing Zhou
- Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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Onagi H, Horimoto Y, Sakaguchi A, Ikarashi D, Yanagisawa N, Nakayama T, Nakatsura T, Ishizuka Y, Sasaki R, Watanabe J, Saito M, Saeki H, Hayashi T, Arakawa A, Yao T, Kitano S. High platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios in triple-negative breast cancer associates with immunosuppressive status of TILs. Breast Cancer Res 2022; 24:67. [PMID: 36217150 PMCID: PMC9552414 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-022-01563-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rating lymphocytes (TILs) are a prognostic marker in breast cancer and high TIL infiltration correlates with better patient outcomes. Meanwhile, parameters involving immune cells in peripheral blood have also been established as prognostic markers. High platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios (PLRs) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLRs) are related to poor outcomes in breast cancer, but their mechanisms remain unknown. To date, TILs and these parameters have been examined separately. METHODS We investigated the relationship between TILs and the peripheral blood markers, PLR and NLR, in the same patients, using surgical specimens from 502 patients with invasive breast carcinoma without preoperative chemotherapy. For analysis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patient outcomes, 59 patients who received preoperative chemotherapy were also examined. For immune cell profiling, multiplexed fluorescent immunohistochemistry (mfIHC) of CD3, CD4, CD8, FOXP3 and T-bet, was conducted. RESULTS A positive correlation between PLR and TIL was observed in TNBC (P = 0.013). On mfIHC, tumors in patients with high PLR and NLR contained more CD3+CD4+FOXP3+ T-cells (P = 0.049 and 0.019, respectively), while no trend was observed in CD8+ T-cells. TNBC patients had different patterns of outcomes according to TIL and PLR, with the TIL-high/PLR-low group having the lowest rate of disease relapse and death, and the longest distant metastasis-free and overall survivals, while the TIL-low/PLR-high group had the shortest survivals. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the combination of PLR with TIL assessment may enable more accurate prediction of patient outcomes with TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroko Onagi
- Department of Human Pathology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
| | - Yoshiya Horimoto
- Department of Human Pathology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
- Department of Breast Oncology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Asumi Sakaguchi
- Department of Human Pathology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
| | - Daiki Ikarashi
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy Development, Department of Advanced Medical Development, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550 Japan
| | | | - Takayuki Nakayama
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, 6-5-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577 Japan
| | - Tetsuya Nakatsura
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, 6-5-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577 Japan
| | - Yumiko Ishizuka
- Department of Breast Oncology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ritsuko Sasaki
- Department of Breast Oncology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Junichiro Watanabe
- Department of Breast Oncology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mitsue Saito
- Department of Breast Oncology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Harumi Saeki
- Department of Human Pathology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
| | - Takuo Hayashi
- Department of Human Pathology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
| | - Atsushi Arakawa
- Department of Human Pathology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
| | - Takashi Yao
- Department of Human Pathology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
| | - Shigehisa Kitano
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy Development, Department of Advanced Medical Development, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550 Japan
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Liu Z, Zhou Z, Dang Q, Xu H, Lv J, Li H, Han X. Immunosuppression in tumor immune microenvironment and its optimization from CAR-T cell therapy. Am J Cancer Res 2022; 12:6273-6290. [PMID: 36168626 PMCID: PMC9475465 DOI: 10.7150/thno.76854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy represents a landmark advance in personalized cancer treatment. CAR-T strategy generally engineers T cells from a specific patient with a new antigen-specificity, which has achieved considerable success in hematological malignancies, but scarce benefits in solid tumors. Recent studies have demonstrated that tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) cast a profound impact on the immunotherapeutic response. The immunosuppressive landscape of TIME is a critical obstacle to the effector activity of CAR-T cells. Nevertheless, every cloud has a silver lining. The immunosuppressive components also shed new inspiration on reshaping a friendly TIME by targeting them with engineered CARs. Herein, we summarize recent advances in disincentives of TIME and discuss approaches and technologies to enhance CAR-T cell efficacy via addressing current hindrances. Simultaneously, we firmly believe that by parsing the immunosuppressive components of TIME, rationally manipulating the complex interactions of immunosuppressive components, and optimizing CAR-T cell therapy for each patient, the CAR-T cell immunotherapy responsiveness for solid malignancies will be substantially enhanced, and novel therapeutic targets will be revealed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaoqu Liu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,Interventional Institute of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,Interventional Treatment and Clinical Research Center of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Zhaokai Zhou
- Department of Pediatric Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Qin Dang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Hui Xu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Jinxiang Lv
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Huanyun Li
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Xinwei Han
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,Interventional Institute of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,Interventional Treatment and Clinical Research Center of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
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34
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Lv B, Wang Y, Ma D, Cheng W, Liu J, Yong T, Chen H, Wang C. Immunotherapy: Reshape the Tumor Immune Microenvironment. Front Immunol 2022; 13:844142. [PMID: 35874717 PMCID: PMC9299092 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.844142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) include tumor cells, immune cells, cytokines, etc. The interactions between these components, which are divided into anti-tumor and pro-tumor, determine the trend of anti-tumor immunity. Although the immune system can eliminate tumor through the cancer-immune cycle, tumors appear to eventually evade from immune surveillance by shaping an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Immunotherapy reshapes the TIME and restores the tumor killing ability of anti-tumor immune cells. Herein, we review the function of immune cells within the TIME and discuss the contribution of current mainstream immunotherapeutic approaches to remolding the TIME. Changes in the immune microenvironment in different forms under the intervention of immunotherapy can shed light on better combination treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingzhe Lv
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China.,The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yunpeng Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China.,The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Dongjiang Ma
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China.,The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wei Cheng
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China.,The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China.,The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Tao Yong
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China.,The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumors of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China.,Department of Surgical Oncology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Chen Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumors of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
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Tumor-associated neutrophils and neutrophil-targeted cancer therapies. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2022; 1877:188762. [PMID: 35853517 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2022.188762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Neutrophils are the frontline cells in response to microbial infections and are involved in a range of inflammatory disorders in the body. In recent years, neutrophils have gained considerable attention in their involvement of complex roles in tumor development and progression. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) that accumulate in local region could be triggered by external stimuli from tumor microenvironment (TME) and switch between anti- and pro-tumor phenotypes. The anti-tumor neutrophils kill tumor cells through direct cytotoxic effects as well as indirect effects by activating adaptive immune responses. In contrast, the pro-tumor phenotype of neutrophils might be associated with cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression in TME. More recently, neutrophils have been proposed as a potential target in cancer therapy for their ability to diminish the pro-tumor pathways, such as by immune checkpoint blockade. This review discusses the complex roles of neutrophils in TME and highlights the strategies in neutrophil targeting in cancer treatment with a particular focus on the progresses of ongoing clinical trials involving neutrophil-targeted therapies.
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36
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Hadjigol S, Shah BA, O’Brien-Simpson NM. The ‘Danse Macabre’—Neutrophils the Interactive Partner Affecting Oral Cancer Outcomes. Front Immunol 2022; 13:894021. [PMID: 35784290 PMCID: PMC9243430 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.894021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past few decades, tremendous advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer have taken place. However for head and neck cancers, including oral cancer, the overall survival rate is below 50% and they remain the seventh most common malignancy worldwide. These cancers are, commonly, aggressive, genetically complex, and difficult to treat and the delay, which often occurs between early recognition of symptoms and diagnosis, and the start of treatment of these cancers, is associated with poor prognosis. Cancer development and progression occurs in concert with alterations in the surrounding stroma, with the immune system being an essential element in this process. Despite neutrophils having major roles in the pathology of many diseases, they were thought to have little impact on cancer development and progression. Recent studies are now challenging this notion and placing neutrophils as central interactive players with other immune and tumor cells in affecting cancer pathology. This review focuses on how neutrophils and their sub-phenotypes, N1, N2, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, both directly and indirectly affect the anti-tumor and pro-tumor immune responses. Emphasis is placed on what is currently known about the interaction of neutrophils with myeloid innate immune cells (such as dendritic cells and macrophages), innate lymphoid cells, natural killer cells, and fibroblasts to affect the tumor microenvironment and progression of oral cancer. A better understanding of this dialog will allow for improved therapeutics that concurrently target several components of the tumor microenvironment, increasing the possibility of constructive and positive outcomes for oral cancer patients. For this review, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched for manuscripts using keywords and combinations thereof of “oral cancer, OSCC, neutrophils, TANs, MDSC, immune cells, head and neck cancer, and tumor microenvironment” with a focus on publications from 2018 to 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Hadjigol
- *Correspondence: Neil M. O’Brien-Simpson, ; Sara Hadjigol,
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37
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Kennedy PR, Felices M, Miller JS. Challenges to the broad application of allogeneic natural killer cell immunotherapy of cancer. Stem Cell Res Ther 2022; 13:165. [PMID: 35414042 PMCID: PMC9006579 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-022-02769-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells that recognize malignant cells through a wide array of germline-encoded receptors. Triggering of activating receptors results in cytotoxicity and broad immune system activation. The former is achieved through release of cytotoxic granules and presentation of death receptor ligands, while the latter is mediated by inflammatory cytokines, such as interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor α. Early success with ex vivo activation of NK cells and adoptive transfer suggest they are a safe therapeutic with promising responses in advanced hematologic malignancies. In particular, adoptive NK cell therapies can serve as a 'bridge' to potentially curative allogeneic stem cell transplantation. In addition, strategies are being developed that expand large numbers of cells from limited starting material and mature NK cells from precursors. Together, these make 'off-the-shelf' NK cells possible to treat a wide range of cancers. Research efforts have focused on creating a range of tools that increase targeting of therapeutic NK cells toward cancer-from therapeutic antibodies that drive antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, to chimeric antigen receptors. As these novel therapies start to show promise in clinical trials, the field is rapidly moving toward addressing other challenges that limit NK cell therapeutics and the goal to treat solid tumors. This review describes the state of therapeutic NK cell targeting of tumors; discusses the challenges that need to be addressed before NK cells can be applied as a wide-ranging treatment for cancer; and points to some of the innovations that are being developed to surmount these challenges. Suppressive cells in the tumor microenvironment pose a direct threat to therapeutic NK cells, through presentation of inhibitory ligands and secretion of suppressive cytokines and metabolites. The nutrient- and oxygen-starved conditions under which NK cells must function necessitate an understanding of therapeutic NK cell metabolism that is still emerging. Prior to these challenges, NK cells must find their way into and persist in the tumor itself. Finally, the desirability of a 'single-shot' NK cell treatment and the problems and benefits of a short-lived rejection-prone NK cellular product are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippa R Kennedy
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, MCRB Rm 520, 425 E River Rd Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Martin Felices
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, MCRB Rm 520, 425 E River Rd Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Miller
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, MCRB Rm 520, 425 E River Rd Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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38
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Mahmud Z, Rahman A, Mishu ID, Kabir Y. Mechanistic insights into the interplays between neutrophils and other immune cells in cancer development and progression. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2022; 41:405-432. [PMID: 35314951 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-022-10024-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is considered a major public health concern worldwide and is characterized by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells. The human immune system recognizes cancerous cells and induces innate immunity to destroy those cells. However, sustained tumors may protect themselves by developing immune escape mechanisms through multiple soluble and cellular mediators. Neutrophils are the most plenteous leukocytes in the human blood and are crucial for immune defense in infection and inflammation. Besides, neutrophils emancipate the antimicrobial contents, secrete different cytokines or chemokines, and interact with other immune cells to combat and successfully kill cancerous cells. Conversely, many clinical and experimental studies signpost that being a polarized and heterogeneous population with plasticity, neutrophils, particularly their subpopulations, act as a modulator of cancer development by promoting tumor metastasis, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression. Studies also suggest that tumor infiltrating macrophages, neutrophils, and other innate immune cells support tumor growth and survival. Additionally, neutrophils promote tumor cell invasion, migration and intravasation, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, survival of cancer cells in the circulation, seeding, and extravasation of tumor cells, and advanced growth and development of cancer cells to form metastases. In this manuscript, we describe and review recent studies on the mechanisms for neutrophil recruitment, activation, and their interplay with different immune cells to promote their pro-tumorigenic functions. Understanding the detailed mechanisms of neutrophil-tumor cell interactions and the concomitant roles of other immune cells will substantially improve the clinical utility of neutrophils in cancer and eventually may aid in the identification of biomarkers for cancer prognosis and the development of novel therapeutic approaches for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zimam Mahmud
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Atiqur Rahman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh
| | | | - Yearul Kabir
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
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Wang L, Yang G, Liu G, Pan Y. Identification of lncRNA Signature of Tumor-Infiltrating T Lymphocytes With Potential Implications for Prognosis and Chemotherapy of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Front Pharmacol 2022; 12:795205. [PMID: 35242027 PMCID: PMC8886158 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.795205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose: We systematically analyzed HNSCC-infiltrating T lymphocytes lncRNAs (HILTlncRNAs) to assess their predictive value for the survival outcome and immunotherapy response of patients with anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) therapy and to evaluate their predictive power to chemotherapeutic agents. Methods: HNSCC transcriptome and clinical information was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Immunocell microarray data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. T-cell-specific lncRNAs were identified by differential expression analysis. Prognostic paired HILTlncRNAs (PHILTlncRNAs) were filtered and modeled by univariate cox, lasso and multivariate cox regression analysis. To construct lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks, differentially expressed mRNAs in HNSCC patients were incorporated, microRNAs and differentially expressed mRNAs interacting with T-cell-specific lncRNAs were filtered out based on miRcode, miRDB, miRTarBase, and TargetScan databases. Results: 75 T-cell-specific lncRNAs and 9 prognostic PHILTlncRNAs were identified. Low-risk HNSCC patients had a better prognosis and significant immune cell infiltration, driving the immune response. Differential expression of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), PD-1 and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) was demonstrated in the high and low risk groups of HNSCC patients. In the high risk group, high expression of PD-1 improved patient prognosis, whereas the opposite was observed in the low-risk group. The promoter methylation levels of two RBPs (DNMT1 and ZC3H12D) were decreased in HNSCC patients compared with normal samples, their expression levels were positively correlated with PD-1 and PD-L1 levels and T-cell infiltration. Finally, we screened the sensitivity of HNSCC patients to chemotherapeutic agents and found it differed between high and low risk groups. Conclusion: HILTlncRNAs provided a theoretical basis for immune targeted therapy and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Gui Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Guohong Liu
- Department of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yunbao Pan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Ferritin as Measurable Tools for Disease Burden and B Symptoms in Pediatric Patients With Hodgkin Lymphoma. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2022; 44:e567-e571. [PMID: 34654761 DOI: 10.1097/mph.0000000000002346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) has been treated successfully with risk-adapted and response-adapted therapy. While risk factors like Ann Arbor staging system, B symptoms, bulky disease, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were measured objectively, B symptoms are subjective tools. We evaluated whether the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and inflammatory marker levels correlated with B symptoms and disease burden. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review of all children ≤14 years old with pathology-confirmed HL treated at our institution. Data included clinical and pathologic features, pretreatment erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ferritin levels; monocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts; and NLR. Optimum cutoffs of variables significantly associated with B symptoms were determined based on receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS Sixty-four patients were included in the analysis. Sixteen patients (25%) had B symptoms. Patients with B symptoms had higher ferritin levels (P<0.0001), monocyte counts (P=0.0060), neutrophil counts (P=0.0003) and NLR (P<0.0001), and lower lymphocyte counts (P=0.0017). Multiple receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to identify the optimum cutoff. Sensitivities and specificities of NLR (cutoff, 3.5) and ferritin (cutoff, 173 ng/mL) were the highest (81.25% and 81.25% [P<0.0001] and 89.36% and 75% [P<0.0001], respectively). Patients with NLR >3.5 and ferritin >173 (ng/mL) had significantly higher stage, bulky disease, and B symptoms. NLR and ferritin are not predictive of worst outcome in the cohort analyzed. CONCLUSIONS NLR and ferritin levels were associated with high disease burden and B symptoms. Therefore, these variables can be used as measurable tools for B symptoms that can help stratify patients with HL. Larger and prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.
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Lian X, Yang K, Li R, Li M, Zuo J, Zheng B, Wang W, Wang P, Zhou S. Immunometabolic rewiring in tumorigenesis and anti-tumor immunotherapy. Mol Cancer 2022; 21:27. [PMID: 35062950 PMCID: PMC8780708 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-021-01486-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular metabolism constitutes a fundamental process in biology. During tumor initiation and progression, each cellular component in the cancerous niche undergoes dramatic metabolic reprogramming, adapting to a challenging microenvironment of hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, and other stresses. While the metabolic hallmarks of cancer have been extensively studied, the metabolic states of the immune cells are less well elucidated. Here we review the metabolic disturbance and fitness of the immune system in the tumor microenvironment (TME), focusing on the impact of oncometabolites to the function of immune cells and the clinical significance of targeting metabolism in anti-tumor immunotherapy. Metabolic alterations in the immune system of TME offer novel therapeutic insight into cancer treatment.
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Abstract
For the past decade, the role and importance of neutrophils in cancer is being increasingly appreciated. Research has focused on the ability of cancer-related neutrophils to either support tumor growth or interfere with it, showing diverse mechanisms through which the effects of neutrophils take place. In contrast to the historic view of neutrophils as terminally differentiated cells, mounting evidence has demonstrated that neutrophils are a plastic and diverse population of cells. These dynamic and plastic abilities allow them to perform varied and sometimes opposite functions simultaneously. In this review, we summarize and detail clinical and experimental evidence for, and underlying mechanisms of, the dual impact of neutrophils' functions, both supporting and inhibiting cancer development. We first discuss the effects of various basic functions of neutrophils, namely direct cytotoxicity, secretion of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and proteases, NETosis, autophagy and modulation of other immune cells, on tumor growth and metastatic progression. We then describe the clinical evidence for pro- vs anti-tumor functions of neutrophils in human cancer. We believe and show that the "net" impact of neutrophils in cancer is the sum of a complex balance between contradicting effects which occur simultaneously.
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Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: New Prospects for the Cancer Therapy. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11121355. [PMID: 34947886 PMCID: PMC8704694 DOI: 10.3390/life11121355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. HCC patients may benefit from liver transplantation, hepatic resection, radiofrequency ablation, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, and targeted therapies. The increased infiltration of immunosuppressive immune cells and the elevated expression of immunosuppressive factors in the HCC microenvironment are the main culprits of the immunosuppressive nature of the HCC milieu. The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment can substantially attenuate antitumoral immune responses and facilitate the immune evasion of tumoral cells. Immunotherapy is an innovative treatment method that has been promising in treating HCC. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), adoptive cell transfer (ACT), and cell-based (primarily dendritic cells) and non-cell-based vaccines are the most common immunotherapeutic approaches for HCC treatment. However, these therapeutic approaches have not generally induced robust antitumoral responses in clinical settings. To answer to this, growing evidence has characterized immune cell populations and delineated intercellular cross-talk using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies. This review aims to discuss the various types of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and highlight their roles in HCC development. Besides, we discuss the recent advances in immunotherapeutic approaches for treating HCC, e.g., ICIs, dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines, non-cell-based vaccines, oncolytic viruses (OVs), and ACT. Finally, we discuss the potentiality of scRNA-seq to improve the response rate of HCC patients to immunotherapeutic approaches.
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44
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Hester R, Mazur PK, McAllister F. Immunotherapy in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Beyond "Copy/Paste". Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:6287-6297. [PMID: 34193514 PMCID: PMC8639640 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-18-0900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has dramatically changed the cancer treatment landscape during the past decade, but very limited efficacy has been reported against pancreatic cancer. Several factors unique to pancreatic cancer may explain the resistance: the well-recognized suppressive elements in the tumor microenvironment, the functional and structural barrier imposed by the stroma components, T-cell exhaustion, the choice of perhaps the wrong immune targets, and microbial factors including gut dysbiosis and the unexpected presence of tumor microbes. Furthermore, we discuss various strategies to overcome these barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Hester
- Division of Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Pawel K. Mazur
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Florencia McAllister
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.,Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.,Corresponding Author: Florencia McAllister, Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1155 Pressler Street, CPB6.3500, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail:
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45
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Understanding and improving cellular immunotherapies against cancer: From cell-manufacturing to tumor-immune models. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 179:114003. [PMID: 34653533 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.114003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is shaped by dynamic metabolic and immune interactions between precancerous and cancerous tumor cells and stromal cells like epithelial cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and hematopoietically-derived immune cells. The metabolic states of the TME, including the hypoxic and acidic niches, influence the immunosuppressive phenotypes of the stromal and immune cells, which confers resistance to both host-mediated tumor killing and therapeutics. Numerous in vitro TME platforms for studying immunotherapies, including cell therapies, are being developed. However, we do not yet understand which immune and stromal components are most critical and how much model complexity is needed to answer specific questions. In addition, scalable sourcing and quality-control of appropriate TME cells for reproducibly manufacturing these platforms remain challenging. In this regard, lessons from the manufacturing of immunomodulatory cell therapies could provide helpful guidance. Although immune cell therapies have shown unprecedented results in hematological cancers and hold promise in solid tumors, their manufacture poses significant scale, cost, and quality control challenges. This review first provides an overview of the in vivo TME, discussing the most influential cell populations in the tumor-immune landscape. Next, we summarize current approaches for cell therapies against cancers and the relevant manufacturing platforms. We then evaluate current immune-tumor models of the TME and immunotherapies, highlighting the complexity, architecture, function, and cell sources. Finally, we present the technical and fundamental knowledge gaps in both cell manufacturing systems and immune-TME models that must be addressed to elucidate the interactions between endogenous tumor immunity and exogenous engineered immunity.
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Saraiva DP, Correia BF, Salvador R, de Sousa N, Jacinto A, Braga S, Cabral MG. Circulating low density neutrophils of breast cancer patients are associated with their worse prognosis due to the impairment of T cell responses. Oncotarget 2021; 12:2388-2403. [PMID: 34853660 PMCID: PMC8629401 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.28135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Neutrophils are prominent immune components of tumors, having either anti-tumor (N1) or pro-tumor activity (N2). Circulating neutrophils, divided into high density neutrophils (HDN) and low density neutrophils (LDN), functionally mirror those N1 and N2 cells, respectively. LDN are rare in non-pathological conditions, but frequent in cancer, exhibiting a pro-tumor phenotype. These findings have been mainly demonstrated in animal models, thus proper validation in humans is still imperative. Here, we observed that LDN were increased in the blood of breast cancer (BC) patients, particularly with metastatic disease. Within the population of non-metastatic patients, LDN were more prevalent in patients with poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy than patients with a good response. The higher incidence of LDN in BC patients with severe disease or resistance to treatment can be explained by their pro-tumor/immunosuppressive characteristics. Moreover, the percentage of LDN in BC patients’ blood was negatively correlated with activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes and positively correlated with immunosuppressive regulatory T cells. The ability of LDN to spoil anti-tumor immune responses was further demonstrated ex vivo. Hence, this study reveals the potential of LDN as a biomarker of BC response to treatment and opens new avenues for developing new immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana P Saraiva
- iNOVA4Health, CEDOC, NOVA Medical School (NMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Bruna F Correia
- iNOVA4Health, CEDOC, NOVA Medical School (NMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Rute Salvador
- iNOVA4Health, CEDOC, NOVA Medical School (NMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Nídia de Sousa
- iNOVA4Health, CEDOC, NOVA Medical School (NMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - António Jacinto
- iNOVA4Health, CEDOC, NOVA Medical School (NMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sofia Braga
- iNOVA4Health, CEDOC, NOVA Medical School (NMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto CUF de Oncologia, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - M Guadalupe Cabral
- iNOVA4Health, CEDOC, NOVA Medical School (NMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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Bodac A, Meylan E. Neutrophil metabolism in the cancer context. Semin Immunol 2021; 57:101583. [PMID: 34963565 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2021.101583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Neutrophils are critical innate immune cells for the host anti-bacterial defense. Throughout their lifecycle, neutrophils are exposed to different microenvironments and modulate their metabolism to survive and sustain their functions. Although tumor cell metabolism has been intensively investigated, how neutrophil metabolism is affected in cancer remains largely to be discovered. Neutrophils are described as mainly glycolytic cells. However, distinct tumor-associated neutrophil (TAN) states may co-exist in tumors and adapt their metabolism to exert different or even opposing activities ranging from tumor cell killing to tumor support. In this review, we gather evidence about the metabolic mechanisms that underly TANs' pro- or anti-tumoral functions in cancer. We first discuss how tumor-secreted factors and the heterogenous tumor microenvironment can have a strong impact on TAN metabolism. We then describe alternative metabolic pathways used by TANs to exert their functions in cancer, from basic glycolysis to more recently-recognized but less understood metabolic shifts toward mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, lipid and amino acid metabolism and even autophagy. Last, we discuss promising strategies targeting neutrophil metabolism to combat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Bodac
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Etienne Meylan
- Lung Cancer & Immuno-Oncology Laboratory, Bordet Cancer Research Laboratories, Institut Jules Bordet, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1070, Anderlecht, Belgium; Laboratory of Immunobiology, Faculty of Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 6041, Gosselies, Belgium; ULB Cancer Research Center (U-CRC) and ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI), Belgium.
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48
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Sionov RV. Leveling Up the Controversial Role of Neutrophils in Cancer: When the Complexity Becomes Entangled. Cells 2021; 10:cells10092486. [PMID: 34572138 PMCID: PMC8465406 DOI: 10.3390/cells10092486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutrophils are the most abundant immune cell in the circulation of human and act as gatekeepers to discard foreign elements that have entered the body. They are essential in initiating immune responses for eliminating invaders, such as microorganisms and alien particles, as well as to act as immune surveyors of cancer cells, especially during the initial stages of carcinogenesis and for eliminating single metastatic cells in the circulation and in the premetastatic organs. Since neutrophils can secrete a whole range of factors stored in their many granules as well as produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species upon stimulation, neutrophils may directly or indirectly affect carcinogenesis in both the positive and negative directions. An intricate crosstalk between tumor cells, neutrophils, other immune cells and stromal cells in the microenvironment modulates neutrophil function resulting in both anti- and pro-tumor activities. Both the anti-tumor and pro-tumor activities require chemoattraction towards the tumor cells, neutrophil activation and ROS production. Divergence is seen in other neutrophil properties, including differential secretory repertoire and membrane receptor display. Many of the direct effects of neutrophils on tumor growth and metastases are dependent on tight neutrophil–tumor cell interactions. Among them, the neutrophil Mac-1 interaction with tumor ICAM-1 and the neutrophil L-selectin interaction with tumor-cell sialomucins were found to be involved in the neutrophil-mediated capturing of circulating tumor cells resulting in increased metastatic seeding. On the other hand, the anti-tumor function of neutrophils was found to rely on the interaction between tumor-surface-expressed receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and Cathepsin G expressed on the neutrophil surface. Intriguingly, these two molecules are also involved in the promotion of tumor growth and metastases. RAGE is upregulated during early inflammation-induced carcinogenesis and was found to be important for sustaining tumor growth and homing at metastatic sites. Cathepsin G was found to be essential for neutrophil-supported lung colonization of cancer cells. These data level up the complexity of the dual role of neutrophils in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Vogt Sionov
- Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ein Kerem Campus, P.O.B. 12272, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
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Small extracellular vesicle-mediated bidirectional crosstalk between neutrophils and tumor cells. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2021; 61:16-26. [PMID: 34479816 DOI: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2021.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Neutrophils are the first line of defense against tissue injury and play an important role in tumor progression. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) mediate pro-tumor immunosuppressive activity and their infiltration into tumors is associated with poor outcome in a variety of malignant diseases. The tumor cell-neutrophil crosstalk is mediated by small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) also referred to as exosomes which represent a major mechanism for intercellular communication. This review will address the role of neutrophil-derived sEVs (NEX) in reprogramming the TME and on mechanisms that regulate the dual potential of NEX to promote tumor progression on one hand and suppress tumor growth on the other. Emerging data suggest that both, NEX and tumor-derived sEVs (TEX) carry complex molecular cargos which upon delivery to recipient cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) modulate their behavior and reprogram them to mediate pro-inflammatory or immunosuppressive responses. Although it remains unknown how the balance between the often conflicting signaling of TEX and NEX is regulated, this review is an attempt to provide insights into mechanisms that underpin this complex bidirectional crosstalk. A better understanding of the signals NEX process or deliver in the TME might lead to the development of novel approaches to the control of tumor progression in the future.
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50
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Jakovija A, Chtanova T. Neutrophil Interactions with the Lymphatic System. Cells 2021; 10:cells10082106. [PMID: 34440875 PMCID: PMC8393351 DOI: 10.3390/cells10082106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The lymphatic system is a complex network of lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes designed to balance fluid homeostasis and facilitate host immune defence. Neutrophils are rapidly recruited to sites of inflammation to provide the first line of protection against microbial infections. The traditional view of neutrophils as short-lived cells, whose role is restricted to providing sterilizing immunity at sites of infection, is rapidly evolving to include additional functions at the interface between the innate and adaptive immune systems. Neutrophils travel via the lymphatics from the site of inflammation to transport antigens to lymph nodes. They can also enter lymph nodes from the blood by crossing high endothelial venules. Neutrophil functions in draining lymph nodes include pathogen control and modulation of adaptive immunity. Another facet of neutrophil interactions with the lymphatic system is their ability to promote lymphangiogenesis in draining lymph nodes and inflamed tissues. In this review, we discuss the significance of neutrophil migration to secondary lymphoid organs and within the lymphatic vasculature and highlight emerging evidence of the neutrophils’ role in lymphangiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnolda Jakovija
- Innate and Tumor Immunology Laboratory, Immunity Theme, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia;
- St Vincent’s School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Tatyana Chtanova
- Innate and Tumor Immunology Laboratory, Immunity Theme, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia;
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
- Correspondence:
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